Improvement in harvesters



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J. D. OUSTERQ COMBINED REAPING AND MQWING MACHINE.

Patented Sept. 27, 1859.

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J.D.GU STER.

v COMBINED REAPING AND MOWING MACHINE. No. 25,561. Patented Sept. 27; 1859.

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v "UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIGE.

J. D. CUSTER, or NORRISTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN HARVESTERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 25,561 dated September 27, 1859. 4

To all whom it may concern! I Be it known that I, J. D. GUSTER, of Norristown, in the county of Montgomery and of the construction and operation of the same,

reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is aperspective view of the machine, taken from the grain side, in front of it. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the machine, taken from behind the drivers seat. Fig. 3 is an end view of the finger-bar, cutter-bar, and fingers. Fig. 4 is a side viemof the out and in gear lever and one of th'eQ- vibrating pallets, whichis attached to it. "f Figtfi is a top viewofithe upper ends of the-two-vibratiug pallets the two connecting-rods, the vibrating bar, and the lower vibrating-arm, which takes hold of and vibrates the cutter-bar. Fig. 6 is a side view of the movable shoe connecting and supporting bar. Fig. 7 is a top view of the main shoe, the vibrating-pallet pins, the vibratingarm, and finger and cutter bar. Fig. 8 is an outside view of the main shoe, the out and in gear lever, and part-of the movable shoe connecting and supporting bar.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

The same letters refer to like parts in all the figures,

I construct the main shoe AA Aof my .machine out of cast-iron in the form shown in Figs. 1, 7,'and 8, so that the driving-wheel B works in and supports the back end of it. The vibrating pallets O 0 work on pins 0 0, (shown.

at Fig. 7,) and to the upper end of the arms of those pallets G C the connecting-rods D D are attached .by shackle-pins andkeys. The other 7 ends of said rods are attached to the vibrating cross-bar E, as shown at Figs. 1 and 5. Grossbar E is keyed or squared on the upper end ot the upright vibrating shaft F, and on thelower end of this shaft the arm F is firmly fastened,

and by'a. pin in the end of it it takes hold or the cutter-bar, which works under it, so as to' vibrate it. This shaft]? is supported by acasting bolted on the shoe, back of it, between it and the driving-wheeLB, (shown at U, Fig. 1.) At the top,just under cross-barE, and

at the lower end, it runsin and is supported in whole cast or bored in a boss cast in the floor of the shoe. The upper journal of shaft F is turned, so as to admit of it being raised up so as to detach the arm F from the cutter-bar the cutter-bar can be conveniently drawn out.

A corresponding slot is also cast in the other side of this shoe, exceptingitisas much larger as to admit of the linger-bar to he slipped in also along with the cutter-bar, so as to bolt thefinger-bar down on the floor of the shoe under the arm F,as shown at Fig.7. This main shoe has also a hole cast in it at I, Fig. 7, in which the reel-post l is keyed, and also a long hole near the front end ofit, in which a small wheel runs to bear it up when mowing close to the ground. On the side, under the back end of this shoe, is a piece east extending downward, to which the shoe-connecting bar is bolted, and under the outside of it are two half-round flanges cast, between which the lower end of the out and in gear lever moves on a pin, as shown in Fig. 8.

The driving-wheel B,I make with teeth on the outside, as usual, to prevent slip; but on the inside of the rim of the wheel I cast two sets of te'eth-one set on each side of the arms of the wheel--arranged so that the center of the teeth at one side point exactly to the center of the space between the teeth on the other side, so that when the vibratingpallets (J 0 work on pins 0 Gin line it makes a complete 4 escapement and gives the cutter-bar a regularandeffioient motion with the least expenditure of power.

Thefinger-bar G, Figs. 1 and 7, I construct 3 out of two bars or plates of steel oriron. The

upper plate I bend down to form a lip or flange, between which and the fingers the cutter-bar works, bearing back against the under bar, which is not as wide asthe upper plate.

by the width of the lip and cutter-bar, as shhwn at end view, .Fig. 3. The fingers are riveted on under the lower bar, which keeps the bar and upper plate firmly together and forms a plain strong finger-bar.

11 H H H is the grain side shoe and divider and reel-post. Thisshoe is madeoutof thin boiler-plate bent so as to form asmooth half-round top and open bottom, so that the wheel is placed under and in the back end of it. The reel-post H H is slipped down through the top of it into a block of cast-iron in the back end of the shoe, and a' bolt is put through the shoe, block, and reel-post, which secures them firmly together. The reel-postismade'of gaspip'e, and it runs up and forward, and a short pipe is secured across the end of it, with a knob to the upper end of it, (shown at 11,.

Fig. 1.) "In this cross-pipe a movable pipe or bar is placed, which is held in place by a set-- screw in the knob H, and in the top of this piece the reel-journal works, kept in by a washer and pin on the end of the journal. The other end of the reel is also made movable by a like piece and'set-screw in the gas-pipeheelpost I I, Fig. 1, so that the reel may be raised and lowered by loosening the set-screws; I

make the reel larger (by one-fifth) than usual, and lean the'said reel-posts forward properly, so as to make it unnecessary to shift the reel back or forward. A large. reel also works much better than asmall one. The reel post 1 I also supports the self-acting rake-supporter bar It R at B, Fig. 1, and it also supports the front part of the tongue-frame J J J byrunnin g up between two iriction-rollers which run on pinsin'the back part of the hoisting-frame, below I, Fig. 1, so that the reel-post I I can move up and down to raise and lower the cutter and finger bar, but not sidewise in the frame J J J. The hoister is shown at Fig. 1 and needs no description, as it made as usual. J J J is the tongue-frame. It is composed of iron and hard wood, as shown at Figs. 1 and 2. The timber J J is bolted-to the main shoe in front of the driving-wheel B, and the bar J J is bolted to it (in front) above the caster-wheel 1.. This bar is also bolted to the 'main shoe in front of the driving-wheel B, so that this bolt and the bolt in the timber and shoe on theopposite side of the shoe are exactly in line with each other across the shoe, so that theshoe may rise and fall on them in raising 'the cutter and finger bar and lowering it. From this bolt this bar runs back round the driving-wheel B, where it is also bolted to the frame-timber J J. The hoisting-frame is also bolted to this bar in front of the reel-post I I, and to the timber J J, so that this baris firmly secured to the timber at three places and to the main shoe. The frame of the caster-wheel L works loosely on a pin which is firmly keyed in the casting, above it, which is bolted under the ton gue-frame timber. This pin has a head on the lower end of it to keep it in place.

M M, Fig. 2, is the caster-wheel controllinglever. The lower branch of it at M takes hold of a pin in the side of the caster-wheel frame to control it so as to prevent all side draft and guide the machine, if desired. N isa sliding plate and thumb-screw, by

I which tbe lever M M can beset so as to run the machine on a straight line or. detach it from the caster-wheel entirely, so as to setit.

free in turning round by bringing the "lever down on the pin in the plate N below N. This controlling-lever works on a .pin in the timber- K K, Fig. 2, is the driver and rakers door when the self-acting rake is not used, andwhen it is used the back .end of the fioor is used for a tool-box. This floor is made of strong plank bolted under the ton gue-frame'timber as near to the ground-as the working of the machine will permit, so as toma'ke the drivers floor and seat as convenient and safe as possible. The drivers'; seat is bolted to the middle crosstimber, which timber is bolted between the tongue-frame timber and floor-plank. I A like cross-timber is bolted under and between the tongue-frame timber and floor-plank in front and at the back end of it, and aside piece is attached to it to form itinto a low box. The foot-lever for detaching the click of the hoisting-machine ratchet is placed on the front end of the drivers floor, in the right-side corner.

The click is kept down by a spiral spring, also in said corner. This drivers floor is a great support to the ton gue-frame timber and it also prevents the machine from upsetting.

- O 0, Figs. 1 and 2, is the self-acting rake head and handle. Thehead is made out of .thin boards, and the teeth are riveted under or on the top of it. I make this rake-head wide, so as to form a divider tokeep'the grain which is falling divided from the grain about to be raked off. The self-acting rake-handle I giake of grooved steel, iron, or wood, so as to make it light and strong. It is attached to its lifting and moving shaft 1? P at the top of it by a cast hub and pin and two bolts which hold it to the arm of the cast hnb.' This shaft P P is supported by a casting which is bolted to the under and back part of the main shoe, which casting extends up to the upper bar, R, and has a flange on it with a hole in it, in which the shaft works, and below is a like flange with a like hole, llLWlllCll the lower endof the rake-shaft works looscly, so asto' be capable of rising up and moving round at the same time. The lower end of this shaft reaches down through the tongue-frame timber, soas.

to give it end room enough below to a1lowfit to raise the proper height when in. operation. About the center of shaft P the rake lifting and operatin g arm is pinned on the rake-shaft,

and it reaches round behind the pieceRabove the lifting'and operating cam Q when the it as the rake'makes its stroke and sweeps the grain off of the platform. The rake is drawn back by a spiral spring (seen above S, Fig. 2.)

Any spring or springs sufficiently powerful 'grainl place two operating-cams Q on the arms of the driving-wheel, oppositejto each other. This self-acting rake may also be lifted and operated by'seg'ments of teeth on the arm and on the cam Q. The horizontal barRR is bolted to the upright casting B R at the back end, and in front it has an eye welded on it,

which is slipped on the reel-post I under the knob I. It supports the casting R R and the reel-post I, and the out and in gear lever S S is also held in its proper positions by a casting (with proper recesses in it) which is riveted on the inside of said bar.

S S is the out and in gear lever. It works on a pin under the outside arm of the main shoe, between the flanges which extend down and between the two flanges which form the outside arm of the shoe, Fig. 8. The hub or thick part of this lever fills the whole space between these flanges, as seen at Fig. 7, so as to hold the pallet O as firmly as ifit were set in the solid iron, as the opposite one is, or nearly so, for the lever may work tight, as the least move at the top or sidewise will alter the depth of they escapernent. A thin strong baris riveted to this hub, extending upward, as shown, Fig. 8.

T, Figs. 1, 2, and 6, is the changeable shoe connecting and supporting bar, and it is bolted to the back end of the main shoe, Fig. 8, and to the inside of the grain-side shoe, so as to support it and the end of the finger-bar, at the point of the shoe. This changeable bar is bolted on castings at each side, which have cross-seats cast in them to fit the ends of the bar, so thatby partly unscrewing the bolts the bar can be changed so as to stand down or up,

or so as to point back or forward. For reap-v ing, it must stand down,so as to hold the grain platform, and for mowing it must stand back or up, so as to allow the cut grass to pass under it. The castings with cross-seats, (alluded to,) in which the ends of this bar are bolted, are riveted onthe shoes. The shoe H H is closed at the end and welded as far back as the point of the-last finger, where it is hooked on the point of the tingerand bolted on aflange cast on the back end of the said finger. This last finger is cast larger than the other fingers, and has a side piece outside cast on. it to protect the extra cleaning-tooth on the cutter-bar from injury. I put a dull extra tooth on each end of the cutter-bar, to keep the first and last finger clean; This last finger is firmly riveted to the end of the finger-bar with three rivets, which make it sufiiciently strong to hold the large shoe H H.

The tongue I'make as usual, and attach it to the top or bottom of the ton gue-frame timber J J, so as to place the horses back as near the reel as possible.

The operation of my improved reaping and mowing machine is as follows: The casterwheel-controlling lever S S is set so as to prevent side draft. The machine moves forward and the escapement-teeth vibrate the pallets G O, the connecting-rods D I), the

crossbar E, the shaft F, and the arm F, and

it vibrates the cutter-bar, the reel .moves, and the grain falls on the platform. The lifting and operating cam Q comes up under the selfaoting rake-arm l and lifts it up and moves it forward over the grain on the platform, when it falls and sweeps the grain otf the platform. The operation when mowing is the same as above, excepting the grain-platform is taken off, and also the self-acting rake is taken off or fastened forward 'so as stop it, and the changeable shoe connecting and supporting bar T is changed to stand back or up, so that it may pass over the cut grass.

I do not claim the main shoe A A A, nor the shoe connecting and supporting bar T, nor the caster-wheel I1, irrespective of m y peculiarconstrnotion and arrangement, for they have been used in other forms and are old and well known; but

What I do claim-as my invention, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The main shoe A A A, constructed in the manner described, in combination with bars J J of main frame, and supporting-bar T, ar-

"ranged and operating in the mannerdesoribed,

for the purpose specified.

2. The caster-wheel L, in combination with lever M and adjustable plate N, when the parts are constructed, arranged, and operated in the manner described, for the purpose specified, substantially as set forth.

d. I). (DUSTER.

Witnesses:

J. HOFFMAN, L. E. GORSON. 

